China is becoming a figure skating powerhouse
could overtake Japan soon in some of their disciplines

I think that comment is really overhasty.
"Japan's disciplines" are ladies and men, and why should they lose out in those to china "soon"? Zijun Li ended up behind Miyahara, who's even 2 years younger (although I love both of them). And as talented as Han Yan is, beating Takahashi and Kozuka and Hanyu(!) is not that likely happening just next season.
Japan might have had a disappointing junior year, but that doesn't even need to mean much... I'd bet next year especially for the men Japan will still have the strongest team overall.

But that aside, happy for all the medalists
It'll be interesting to see how some of them will do in seniors next year

I think that comment is really overhasty.
"Japan's disciplines" are ladies and men, and why should they lose out in those to china "soon"? Zijun Li ended up behind Miyahara, who's even 2 years younger (although I love both of them). And as talented as Han Yan is, beating Takahashi and Kozuka and Hanyu(!) is not that likely happening just next season.
Japan might have had a disappointing junior year, but that doesn't even need to mean much... I'd bet next year especially for the men Japan will still have the strongest team overall.

But that aside, happy for all the medalists
It'll be interesting to see how some of them will do in seniors next year

Japan`development is unbalanced,They have only single skating,But Russia,America and China are better,That's very disappointing!

Japan`development is unbalanced,They have only single skating,But Russia,America and China are better,That's very disappointing!

Thing is, that this is nothing new. Japan was kind of dominant in singles and just there, and by now they still are. Russia will be changing that for the ladies, but I don't see China "overtaking" Japan there.
Japan is even having a promising pair this time.
And what is America doing there, except for Ice Dance?

Thing is, that this is nothing new. Japan was kind of dominant in singles and just there, and by now they still are. Russia will be changing that for the ladies, but I don't see China "overtaking" Japan there.
Japan is even having a promising pair this time.And what is America doing there, except for Ice Dance?

What about their men and ladies??Their ladies were always contenders unlike Russia

What about their men and ladies??Their ladies were always contenders unlike Russia

I'm not saying America isn't having any contenders, but I don't think America is "better than Japan" - what jpaiyi just wrote above.
Besides Abbott, I don't see any american man who's really on the same level as at least 4 japanese men you could think of.
And what american ladies really stood up against Asada and Ando the last years? Nagasu maybe somewhere in between for a short while, but that aside... I actually think Wagner now is better than anything else America put out for a pretty long time

What about their men and ladies??Their ladies were always contenders unlike Russia

I think always "is a pretty long time" I seem to recall that after Midori Ito and Yuka retired the Japanese absolutely went through a spell of no ladies medals on the Senior circuit for awhile. Try from 1994 to 2002. While Russia at that time WAS winning world medals in ladies which is always their weakest discipline.
The Russians went through an entire system collapse, coaches leaving etc which really hurt their program everywhere. They are CLEARLY building up though again.
The Russians will be on the world podium in ladies-very soon.

In terms of the Japanese ladies, I wonder who will be next because I don't think they've shown a young skater who can take the reigns from their top ladies. But in terms of the men-my gosh Hanyu? is certainly at an age to compete with those young Junior men-he's just not there because he's in Seniors right now. Not every year, one's going to have the great junior.

I'm sure the next great Japanese lady will come, but I think there problems are similar to what the US faced etc after Kwan, Cohen era ended.